Silent MI Likely in 17% of Postmenopausal Women

Silent MI Likely in 17% of Postmenopausal Women

Article excerpt

ORLANDO, FLA. -- More than 17% of postmenopausal women have a moderate or high likelihood of having silent myocardial infarction, based on findings from more than 60,000 women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative.

This high prevalence of silent myocardial infarction (MI) in asymptomatic women that can be detected only with an ECG suggests that it's important to get an ECG recording for all postmenopausal women, Dr. Kiran Sagar said while presenting a poster at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association.

Her analysis also showed a link between subclinical heart disease and several standard cardiovascular disease risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, body mass index, and age.

The study included 60,438 women aged 50-79 years with no symptoms of coronary disease when they entered the study. All women had a 12-lead ECG examination at baseline. The results were then categorized as low, moderate, or high risk for a silent MI based on the presence of a Q wave or ST-T wave abnormalities. …